A Matter of Honor
by Macx
Summary: A look into Dinobot's mind


Continuity note: this takes place before Fallen Comrades or A Better Mousetrap. Neither Tigatron nor Sentinel are around yet. 

**A Matter of Honor**   
by Birgit Staebler   
It was an exceptionally good day and the sun was shining brightly. A few clouds covered the sky, but there was no sign of an ill storm brewing anywhere. But it was still no reason to relax and enjoy the day, though Optimus Primal wished he could. He was tired of constantly going up against either the Predacons or, which was much more often lately, one of his own troops, though these fights were only verbal -- which was bad enough. Dinobot was constantly criticizing, challenging and making smart comments, which mostly glanced off Optimus' 'shields', but some got through and they stung. True, he wasn't a battle commander, he was a starship captain, and he had been thrown into a situation he had never expected.   
"We are wasting out time!" the former Predacon now snarled. "This exploration is useless. We should be back in the Axalon, fortifying our positions and devising plans how to defeat Megatron forever!"   
Optimus rolled his eyes and turned to the raptor. "We are an exploration vessel, Dinobot, not a squadron of soldiers! I won't spend my time on this planet trying to come up with devious plans how to explode the Predacon base!"   
Dinobot's scaly lips twisted into something barely recognizable as a smile. "I wasn't talking about the base......"   
"Yeah, yeah," Rattrap muttered. "Ya obsessed with this Megatron guy!"   
Dinobot's head whipped around and he snarled angrily. "We should all be obsessed with removing this incompetent fool!"   
"If he's such an incompetent fool," Rattrap remarked, looking challenging at the much larger Maximal, "how did he manage to defeat the oh-so-mighty Dinobot, eh?"   
Dinobot hissed, lips twisting back over sharp teeth. "Watch it, vermin....."   
"Or what?"   
Dinobot was just about to snap at the smaller Maximal when Optimus grabbed him by the neck. "Stop that!" the Maximal commander thundered angrily. "You are like children sometimes! We are in a serious situation, true, but it doesn't mean we have to be constantly in battle with the Predacons! Even you should see that, Dinobot! We'd be spending our forces in senseless battles while we could be discovering more about this planet!"   
Dinobot pulled his head out of the strong grasp, glaring at Optimus. Rattrap smiled broadly at the former Predacon, but he kept his snide remarks to himself.   
"Let's continue," Optimus decided and walked ahead.   
"After you," Rattrap said sweetly, looking at Dinobot, and made a flourishing gesture.   
Dinobot hissed again, but he did follow Optimus. After some time of walking silently through the forest around them, Optimus stopped abruptly. Dinobot did the same, mainly not to bump into Optimus, but Rattrap ran head first into Dinobot's legs.   
"Ey!" he called out in protest. "Whatcha think ya doin', Lizard Lips?" He rubbed his head and then became aware that Dinobot wasn't even glancing at him. His eyes, as well as Optimus', were fixed on something else. "Hey, what's so.....Oh my....." he then muttered and stared open-mouthed at the sight below.   
Optimus had to confess he was stunned too. After plowing through an endless forest they had finally arrived here, looking at the ruins of some kind of village and the stunning beauty of the landscape below them. The village was several hundred feet away from them and it had been built into the side of a mountain, a mountain they had been walking across for some time now.   
"What do you think it is?" Rattrap finally managed.   
"I don't know," Optimus replied, "but I will find out."   
They slowly walked toward the ruins, carefully using an old animal trail from the forest down to the ruins. They entered them through a broken archway, using what must have been the main road of the city once. It led from what Optimus thought of as an temple to an empty square that looked like a market place. In the middle of the square was a mosaic of different colors and shapes. It was beautifully detailed and looked very old.   
"Who do you think lived here?" Optimus wondered out aloud, looking around.   
Dinobot snorted, exhaling sharply. "We shouldn't ask what once lived here, Optimus Primal. We should ask: what is living here now?" His reptilian eyes darted from the forest above them on the mountain to the dark ruins.   
Optimus gave him a strange look. Everything looked quiet and calm in the midday heat. There were no sounds other than birds or the occasional insect noise.   
Suddenly they heard a dark rumble deep inside the earth. All stopped, looking at each other in confusion. Then the earth shook.   
"Did you just feel what I felt?" Rattrap asked nervously.   
"Earthquake?" Optimus asked in dread.   
The earth shook again, this time with more force. They staggered to keep their balance, Dinobot also using his tail to keep on his feet.   
"Earthquake!" Rattrap yelled.   
Optimus' eyes widened in horror. They had to get out of the ruins. He didn't plan to get buried by crumbling stone walls, and there were quite a few walls still ready to crumble. They all started to run, evading suddenly appearing cracks in the ground, more cracks opening in front of them as they ran.   
"We won't make it!" Rattrap screeched.   
"Maximize!" Optimus yelled, transforming and speeding up his run.   
The other two Maximals were doing the same, Rattrap in front, Optimus and Dinobot close on his heels.   
The earth shook with even more force and suddenly everything dropped from sight. Optimus gave a yell of surprise and he thought he saw a glimpse of someone falling as well, then everything went dark.   
He didn't feel his body hit the bottom of the crevice, his left leg twisting under him. His optics died and he went completely limp.

* * *

Rhinox frowned at the read-out. It didn't look good.   
"We got a major quake in sector 27," he rumbled, alerting Cheetor, who was working at his own station, scanning for Predacon signatures in the vicinity.   
"Quake?" the young Maximal now asked, rising and walking over to his friend. He looked at the map. "But 27's where Optimus and the others are!"   
"Uhm-hm."   
Cheetor stared at the display. "Oh, no, you don't think.....?"   
"I don't know, Cheetor. We are out of com link range and the energon storm from yesterday is still messing up the communication net."   
"Uh, I could run over there and check," Cheetor volunteered."   
"Maybe." Rhinox fiddled with some levers and knobs. Then he rose. "I will accompany you."   
"And who will guard the base? You are still working on that security program!" Cheetor protested.   
Rhinox sighed. "Yeah." He shook his head. "Okay, you go ahead and check on them, I'll stay here. I'll try to boost up the power to get through to you by com link."   
Cheetor smiled and ran over to the elevator. The platform hadn't reached the bottom when he was already transforming and running toward sector 27 at top speed.

* * *

He came to seconds after the sudden black out. His optics focused on his surroundings and he didn't like what he saw. Optimus tried to straighten, but a sharp pain in his leg let him forget about this plan right away. He hissed and his optics flickered briefly, then his circuits rerouted partially to relieve him of at least a bit of the pain impulses. He looked down his body and discovered his twisted leg, which had folded up underneath him, his outer skin broken, revealing the circuits underneath. The organic skin had also torn and mech fluid had gathered into a pool. Optimus cursed softly.   
Suddenly he became aware of a second shape beside him, which was moving faintly now as well. Dinobot's optics flared to life and he was instantly alert, though he didn't move much. Optimus got himself into a half sitting position. Dinobot flinched back and his optics briefly turned a light green, then they had their usual color again.   
"Optimus," he growled.   
"Are you okay?" Optimus asked, scanning the high walls of stone around them. They were at the bottom of a crevice which had opened because of the earthquake and the sun was barely visible from down here.   
Dinobot sat up and his red optics narrowed on Optimus. "Yes," he finally answered, drawing the 's' into a hiss. "But you don't seem to be."   
Optimus gave him a wry look. "Yeah, looks like it."   
"Ey!" a voice echoed down to them and when Optimus looked up, he saw a small figure at the edge of the crevice. "Anyone down there?"   
Optimus had to smile. "Rattrap!"   
"Oooo-eee!" came a yell of relief. "You okay?"   
"Yes and no," Optimus answered with a sigh.   
"Eh. Did Dinobore break his neck?"   
Dinobot hissed angrily and looked at the small figure as if calculating whether or not he could hit Rattrap with his eye beams from here.   
"Dinobot is all right," Optimus called. "But my leg isn't in any shape to carry my weight."   
There was a short silence from above. "I might find some vines...." Rattrap then started.   
"No!" Optimus interrupted. "Go back to the Axalon and get help!"   
"But, Optimus....!" Rattrap protested.   
"That's an order!"   
"And leave you alone with Chopperface?"   
Optimus would have rolled his eyes if he could have. "Rattrap...."   
"All right, all right, all right, I'm going. But don't tell me later that I didn't warn you."   
They heard someone moving away and Optimus had to grin despite of the serious situation. He turned to look at Dinobot, whose face was one dark shadow.   
"Well, let's make the best of this," he decided.   
Dinobot rumbled something and got to his feet, looking around. His sharp, taloned hands touched the rough wall of the crevice and his optics fixed on the part of the sky that was visible for them. Then he turned back to Optimus, looking down at the injured commander, eyes narrowing critically.   
"You should go back to beast mode," Optimus said into the silence.   
"That doesn't serve any purpose right now," Dinobot answered. "The energon patterns down here are very weak and barely perceptible."   
Optimus frowned and did a scan of his own. Basically the scan said that there was energon around them, but only in faint traces. It wouldn't affect them as badly as the stronger patterns normal to this environment and Optimus guessed they could last at least a day without shorting out.   
"Must be the depth we are in," he muttered. "Interesting."   
Dinobot snorted and looked up again.   
"You won't be able to climb up," Optimus remarked.   
"I know," the former Predacon growled. He turned around with a rather abrupt movement and stared at his commander again. Finally he sat down.   
Optimus watched him, noted the tense posture, the grimmer-than-usual expression and the angry glow in his optics.   
"Are you all right?" he finally asked, trying to break the silence.   
"Yes."   
The answer had been more of a hiss than a word. It showed Optimus more than anything else how angry and close to blowing Dinobot was. What he didn't understand was why. They had been surprised by an earthquake and there had been nothing else to do. It had been a natural force.   
"Relax," Primal finally sighed as Dinobot kept on glaring at the ground.   
Red optics stared at him with barely concealed anger, but the anger finally dimmed a bit. Optimus returned the stare unwaveringly. Dinobot was a loose cannon, but he was also someone Optimus thought he understood and these outbursts were nothing but outbursts. Dinobot had only once challenged him -- and had lost, though Optimus didn't think of it as a victory. After that they had had their verbal confrontations, but the former Predacon had never actively attacked him. Optimus respected Dinobot, his knowledge and experience as a warrior, and lately he had seen a slight, though rather sarcastic, form of humor rising. Dinobot was mostly going up against Rattrap, his replies sharp and sometimes very aggressive, but he had never attacked Rattrap either, and Optimus somehow thought both Maximals thought of their squabbles as fun.   
"Since we are stuck here," Optimus said after another round of silence, "Can I ask you something?"   
Dinobot glanced at him, but he didn't answer.   
"I take that as a yes. Now, what I'd like to know is how you ended up with Megatron and his bunch of thieves," Optimus started. "You don't fit in, whatever you want to tell me. You are not like them."   
Dinobot hissed and his optics flared bright red again. "I am Predacon," he snarled. "I am like them."   
Optimus shook his head. "No. You are Predacon, that is correct, because you were born as one and your core programming is Predacon, but you are not like Megatron."   
Dinobot's eyes flared again at the mention of the name of his hated enemy.   
"You are not a thief," Optimus stated. "You were along for the theft of the Golden Disk, but I don't believe you signed on for this voluntarily."   
Dinobot shot him a partly amused look. "And what makes you think like that?" he growled.   
"Your sense of honor, maybe? You have shown many times that you have a deeply rooted sense of right or wrong in the ways of battle. You are a soldier, not a thief; and even if soldiers can defect, I don't judge you as such a person. If you were nothing but a deceiving criminal you'd have taken care of us 'weak Maximals' a long time ago, used our weapons and equipment to your advantage, and you might even have managed to kill of Megatron." Optimus tilted his head. "But you didn't. How did you end up with them?"   
Dinobot stared at the ground again, arms resting on his knees, which he had drawn up to his chest. "You are right," he finally said. "I didn't do it voluntarily, but neither was I blackmailed into helping Megatron with his plans. I am a warrior, a soldier, and I am proud of what I am." He looked at the wall opposite his position. "I fought in the Great War. I killed many of your kind, Maximal, and I rose in the ranks of my own. Then the war ended and with it my purpose in life. I was born to fight, not to be at peace." His fingers clenched. "I was still a warrior, still high in rank, but I was useless. So I went into the mercenary business. It took up enough of my time to let me forget how much I had fallen from a warrior to what I had now."   
Optimus nodded slightly. He started to understand. "I heard about you in the Great War," he said when Dinobot didn't continue. "You had quite a ... reputation."   
Dinobot smiled nastily. "Oh, yes."   
"So Megatron hired you as a mercenary?"   
The smile disappeared. "No. Even as a mercenary I still had honor. I tried out a lot of things, from assassination to simply training those new to the ranks, but it never satisfied my core programming. And my old comrades looked down on me for selling myself. I had lost my honor in their eyes, but I still had it in mine."   
Which is the most important thing, Optimus thought. Especially for a being so dependent on honor like you.   
"But it got me thinking. My past glories were really just the past and my present position was lower than it had ever been. I heard about Megatron's round-up call, that he was looking for a small band in the lowest levels of Predacon society to steal your precious Golden Disk. He wanted to get to this mysterious and legendary energon source, mine it, then return to be crowned leader of all Predacons." A sneer passed over Dinobot's lips. "I signed on for this theft...."   
"But why?" Optimus asked, shaking his head. "What he was about to do was dishonorable!"   
Dinobot met his optics. "I know. But my plan was to risk dishonor and regain it later on."   
"By catching Megatron?"   
Dinobot laughed harshly. "No, by letting him lead me to this famous planet of endless energon and then take it from him."   
"So you were planning to take part in this thievery just to steal from Megatron in return?"   
Optimus was pinned by a glare. "No! I was planning to return to my kind with the power to let us warriors rise back to our glory days again! Do you know what this peace meant?! It meant nothing for us! Nothing! We were suddenly useless! Our skills, honed in battle, constantly improved, demanded by the commanders, were suddenly worthless! I trained for years to become what I was at the end of the war! I suffered through brutal training sessions to survive as far as I did, but after the peace treaty we were all dumped!" Anger had worked itself into the former Predacon's voice. "Do you know how it feels to be useless? To be worthless? To be ignored? No! Because you are a Maximal!"   
"I don't think this has anything to do with factions, Dinobot," Optimus said calmly.   
"Oh, but it does!" Dinobot erupted from the floor. "You all went after your own business! Your warriors were stuffed into exploration vessels or security detail or perimeter defense control. We Predacons were the ones seen as the defeated, though it was a peace agreement! We were not allowed to rise into any of those positions! We were those looked down upon!" His fist hit the canyon's wall. "Don't you think I tried? All that was left to me was to get us our honor back!"   
"By starting another war?"   
"No, not a war!"   
Optimus met the heated optics. "But if you had managed to best Megatron and return with the energon, what would have been the result? You would have had the power to overthrow us and we would have fought back. It would have been another war, Dinobot, nothing more, nothing less. It would have started all over again."   
Dinobot hissed in fury. "You don't understand a thing of this, Optimus Primal! You are not a warrior! You never had to fight for your life, even among your own kind, and then find out that it was all for nothing! I joined Megatron to bring glory back to my people, not for the money he gave me! Megatron is a petty criminal and he stole your precious Disk! But not for our people, only for himself!"   
Optimus sighed deeply. "You are right that I'm not a warrior. I am a soldier, I was trained as one, but not to fight in a war. That was why I signed onto this mission after the war -- to see new things, peaceful things, not the ruins back home. I know it was hard for the Predacons to adjust to the peace, but you accepted it as well! We weren't the victors, Dinobot."   
"But of course you were! You and your ideals!" Dinobot shook his head and looked at the patch of open sky again. "We should never have agreed on it."   
"Weren't you tired of fighting?" Optimus wanted to know. "The endless battles, the uncertain future?"   
Dinobot hesitated and looked caught. His hands clenched and unclenched. "Maybe," he finally whispered. "Just maybe."   
"And you would have started the war again by bringing back the energon....."   
Dinobot turned his head away. "Yes," he said slowly.   
"And you consider this honorable?"   
Optimus had hit the correct nerve, judging from Dinobot's violent reaction. The large Maximal whirled around and stared at him as if he would kill him any moment.   
"It would have restored my comrades' honor!"   
"And yours?" Optimus asked quietly.   
Dinobot didn't answer, simply paced up and down and finally slumped back onto the ground.   
"I don't think you'd have done it anyway," Optimus went on. "You no longer kill in battle. You wound, you destroy, but you don't kill."   
"What makes you so sure?" Dinobot hissed.   
"You didn't kill me," Optimus smiled.   
The other was caught for a second, then snorted. "The fight was interrupted by Megatron's forces."   
"True, but when we were back safely you simply joined us. You could have challenged me every minute, but you didn't."   
Dinobot hesitated. "The opportunity didn't come up," he muttered.   
"It came up -- many times. I was down for the count on several occasions .... you never took advantage of it. When the probe abducted me, you fought over leadership, but accepted Rattrap. And don't deny it," Optimus added sharply. "I heard all about it from Rhinox. You don't want this to end in war, Dinobot. You want to get back at Megatron for what he did to you, and I understand it. But you are not a killer, neither are you someone who wants the war back for real! You want back respect and rank, and we respect you, Dinobot. You are a Maximal, despite your core signature!"   
Dinobot growled in fury. "I am Predacon and I am proud of what I am!"   
"I know. But you are also a Maximal, at least now, and I accept you as what you are," Optimus said softly. "I know it means less to you than if a Predacon said this, but it is the truth."   
Dinobot stared at him, trembling visibly, then he turned and walked away as far as the crevice let him. Optimus watched him go, sighing sadly. He really did understand Dinobot, but there was also a lot Dinobot had to understand. He had not thought about the future result of his actions, his plans, just about what it would mean for his comrades.   
Optimus sighed and shook his head.

* * *

An oversized wasp was buzzing through the late afternoon air. Waspinator was on patrol and also looking for Maximal activities. His scanners had picked up Maximal signatures close by and he had started to close the distance between them. Now he was hovering over a large canyon, which had not been here when he had patrolled the perimeter two weeks ago. Tarantulas had declared this area as prone to experience earthquakes from the energon veins running close by it, so it must have been something like this happening, he decided. And then he discovered the Maximals.   
"Hmmmmmmmm," Waspinator buzzed. "Maximalzzzzz." He completed two circles over the new canyon and the small figures at the bottom. "Wazzzpinator report back to Megatron!"   
He rose a bit higher and then flew back to the Predacon ship as fast as he could.

* * *

Rattrap was going at top speed and his energon pump was beating wildly, trying to supply him with the required energon. He was breathing raggedly already, his organic shell tiring him out because of the need of oxygen to cool down the mech fluids, as well as to run the coolant system for his energon converter. He had to get back to the Axalon to get help or Optimus would be down in that crevice forever. Oh, and Dinobot as well, though Rattrap couldn't care less about what happened to the former Predacon.   
Nope, not completely true.   
He sighed. He didn't know when it had happened or how, but he had grown quite accustomed to the large robot and his constant presence. It was fun to try out new ways to get his temper to blow and to see what the comeback would be. A lot of fun.   
"Meow! Hey!"   
Rattrap skidded to a halt, his oxygen intakes contracting painfully and making him gasp for air.   
"Cheetor?!" he exclaimed, not quite trusting his optics.   
"Yeah, the one and only. Rhinox picked up the earthquake. Are you okay? Where are the others?"   
Rattrap felt like hugging the cat, but he simply grinned with relief. Then his features darkened. "They fell down a crevice that opened up through the earthquake. I couldn't get them out, so I went for help."   
Cheetor smiled slightly, though his eyes were dark with worry at the news. "You got help. Let's get our friends out of there!"   
Friends. Plural. Rattrap turned and ran back, followed by Cheetor, who could have gone faster and arrived first, but he needed Rattrap as a guide. He accepted Dinobot as well. I wonder if he voted for old Chopperface when Optimus was down for the count. Rattrap smiled wryly.   
As they approached the site of the earthquake's catastrophic results, Rattrap could make out blaster fire. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide.   
"Oh, no!"   
"Predacons!" Cheetor whispered in horror.   
They looked at each other. This had just gone from bad to worse.

* * *

Dinobot's optics were focused on the small patch of sky again and they narrowed as he saw the wasp appear, circle over them twice, then fly away.   
"We'll have visitors soon," he growled and turned back to Optimus, who had not moved from where he was. And he couldn't move, at least not without help.   
The Maximal commander had been very quiet in the last few hours and Dinobot didn't know how to break the silence either. Their short talk about Dinobot's past had not helped to put the former Predacon at ease; just the opposite. He felt .... he didn't know what he felt. Optimus had pointed out a few things Dinobot had thought of himself as well, but having someone speak them out loud was something else than just becoming aware of them yourself. It made him uneasy about a lot of things, especially about himself.   
"Waspinator," Optimus said calmly, nodding. "How long until he gets back with help?"   
Dinobot frowned. "Not long. The Predacon base is too close to this area." His eyes darkened. "I told you back at the Axalon that we should leave this quadrant alone! Coming here was risky!"   
The other Maximal shook his head and sighed. "Any way out of here? Other than climbing up this wall?" he finally asked.   
Dinobot shook his head, rumbling softly. He had explored the narrow canyon the last hour and he had only found two dead ends and walls he might be able to climb, but not if he had to carry Optimus out as well. He wasn't a climber and neither was he a flier. His eyes narrowed on the Maximal leader.   
"What?" Optimus asked.   
"You might be able to fly us out of here," Dinobot proposed thoughtfully. "I know you can't carry my weight very far, but if you could make it to the rim....?"   
Optimus looked up, frowning as well. "Maybe...." he muttered. "But if I don't make it, we might just crash down here again and there's no guarantee we survive it a second time...."   
Dinobot smiled darkly. "We won't survive a Predacon attack either."   
Optimus lips twisted into a humorless smile. "True." He looked up at the canyon's rim again. "Okay, let's try it."   
Dinobot grabbed the smaller Maximal and helped him get up. Optimus hissed as his leg responded with impulses of pain to the movement. He cursed softly as he fell against Dinobot, who held him upright.   
"Ready?" he then asked.   
Dinobot nodded.   
Optimus activated the jets on his back, rerouted every ounce of power he had to the thrusters, and then opened the valves. Both Maximals were catapulted upwards with a roar of power and Dinobot watched the rim come closer at a fast pace. But he also felt the struggle Optimus was going through as he tried to get them up there. The Maximal's body was trembling with exertion. Suddenly the jets sputtered and died. They sputtered into life again, then died again. Dinobot reacted out of instinct as he rammed a claw into the stone wall, his organic skin getting flayed off by the force he put behind his grasp. His other hand was holding on to Optimus, who was dangling over the canyon, his jets completely dead now. Dinobot looked up, discovering they were only about two or three feet away from the top side. He clenched his teeth together as his muscle cables were strained by his own and Optimus' weight, but he held on.   
"Well, that didn't work," Optimus gasped.   
Dinobot snorted in slight amusement and finally got some hold for his feet. He rammed them into the wall of stone, then started to pull up Optimus. The Maximal gave a hiss of surprise as Dinobot brought him up.   
"Get up!" Dinobot rumbled.   
Optimus stretched out his other hand, got a hold of the rim and was suddenly given a boost, tumbling over the edge. His leg shot hot needles of pain, but he ignored it. He turned on his stomach and stretched out a hand.   
"Gimme your hand!"   
Dinobot stared at his commanding officer and then did what he had been told. He was much heavier than Optimus, but Optimus was quite strong for someone so small. His other hand grabbed for more hold on the wall and he managed to get over the edge of the canyon with some effort.   
Kneeling on the ground he tried to straighten out his partially strained circuits and calm down his energon pump. Optimus lay beside him, optics dark, though not dead, trembling a bit.   
"Optimus?" he asked carefully.   
The Maximal commander turned his head and managed a smile. "This somehow reminds me of a similar situation some time ago, only that it was reversed and that we had Megatron interfering then."   
Dinobot's left corner of the mouth lifted into a wry smile.   
"Oh, I so beg to differ," a dark voice suddenly said pleasantly. "I am interfering, yesss."   
Dinobot was on his feet in a split second, materializing his sword and shield. "Megatron!" he hissed.   
The large Predacon stepped out of the forest, his massive t-rex head displaying a scaly smile. Scorponok and Waspinator were at his side.   
"Isn't this a coincidence?" Megatron asked, voice still pleasant, but there was an underlying current of menace. "A wounded Maximal leader, served on a silver platter for the killing, and a traitor, yesss." The smile turned nasty.   
Dinobot stepped in front of his leader, muscle cables tense.   
"Oh, Dinobot, you have chosen poorly, yes," Megatron continued. "You should not have angered me, nooo."   
Dinobot sneered. "I will do more than just anger you, Megatron!" he snarled. "I will terminate you for good!"   
"I think not, nooo. Scorponok! Waspinator! Attack!" the Predacon leader ordered.   
Waspinator shot off into the air, taking advantage of his aerial mode, while Scorponok opened one of his scorpion claws and launched a missile at the two Maximals. Megatron transformed as well and grinned evily as he aimed his t-rex head weapon at Dinobot.

* * *

"Oh, no!" Cheetor moaned.   
Rattrap could only agree. Both had transformed and stood just outside the Predacon's view, but their own view was nearly perfect. Rattrap had no idea how Dinobot and Optimus had managed to get out of the canyon, but he knew that if they didn't help them, both would be dead in a few more minutes. Optimus lay on the ground, his leg not permitting him to stand up or launch himself into the air. He was using his guns to defend himself. Dinobot stood over him, protecting the Maximal leader as best as he could, his eye lasers his most dangerous weapon. But he had also received multiple wounds already and his metal skin was covered with mech fluid, his organic skin blackened in places.   
"Let's go in there and blast those Preds!" Cheetor called.   
"Good idea, kid!" Rattrap agreed, whipping out his own blaster and aiming at Waspinator. His two, well-aimed blasts severed one set of wings of the flyer and Waspinator gave a cry of surprise, tumbling helplessly out of the sky and crashing onto the ground.   
Megatron turned and his optics narrowed. "More Maximals?" he asked. "So the entertainment continues!"   
Cheetor was keeping Scorponok busy, so Rattrap had to face Megatron, which was a rather uneven match, but Rattrap had never bailed out of a fight.   
"Oh, ya want entertainment, eh? How about a little dance then?"   
He started to blast volley after volley at the much larger Predacon, but Megatron was not impressed. One of his missile blew Rattrap off his feet. Megatron started to laugh, his optics alight with cold menace. Rattrap got to his feet, staggering, shaking his head.   
"Good-bye, vermin!" Megatron called sweetly and the jaws of his t-rex head opened, revealing the gun inside.   
Rattrap froze.   
"I don't think so," a rough voice hissed and Megatron was thrown forward, yelling in protest.   
Rattrap stared at Dinobot, who stood a few feet away from him, eyes glowing brightly, face set into an angry mask. His body was covered with various shot wounds, scratches, burns and worse. Part of his left arm was open and he could see the circuitry beneath it. All in all the former Predacon looked like he was close to collapsing. Dinobot added a few shots at Megatron, who was jumping for cover.   
"Get Optimus!" he hissed. "I'll handle Megatron!"   
Rattrap looked from Optimus to Dinobot and to Optimus again, then nodded and ran for his leader, who was still on the floor, blasting at Scorponok, who had already more than he had bargained for with an angry Cheetor. The kitty-cat might be kinda rash sometimes, Rattrap mused, but he had a bite. Scorponok suddenly fell over the edge of the crevice to where the two Maximals had cornered him, and he gave a protesting yell.   
"Let's get you outta here!" Rattrap called and gestured at Cheetor to help him.   
"Where's Dinobot?" Optimus demanded as he was pulled to his feet.   
There was a roar of pain and disgust from not very far away.   
"Settling things with Megatron," Rattrap said cheerfully.   
Optimus grimaced.   
There was another roar, then the sound of retreating steps. Seconds later Dinobot appeared, looking a bit more singed than before and even more like he was shutting down every second. Rattrap gave him a worried look, knowing Dinobot would not make it back to the Axalon, at least not if he would be dependent on any of them carrying or supporting him. They would have enough trouble getting Optimus home.   
Dinobot transformed, though it seemed to be a rather slow and painful transformation, and he looked even worse in beast mode, his skin either burned to crisp or badly singed.   
"You won't be able to carry him," he said with his usual hiss.   
"Oh, brilliant observation, Dinoboob," Rattrap said sarcastically. "What gave ya a clue?"   
Dinobot snarled, baring his teeth.   
"He's right," Optimus sighed.   
"We can carry you in turns," Cheetor said. "We'll get you back."   
Dinobot turned, back to Optimus. "Get up," he growled.   
Optimus stared at him, optics wide. "What?"   
"I said," the former Predacon hissed, "get up."   
"You can't carry me!" Optimus protested. "I'm too heavy."   
Dinobot's lips twisted into a sarcastic smile. "If you get too heavy, I'll dump you on the rat."   
Rattrap glowered at the much larger Maximal, but he held his tongue. Optimus shook his head, but he managed to get up on the raptor's back with Cheetor's help. He felt Dinobot tense under the weight and he thought he felt the servos protest, but Dinobot kept his mouth shut. He took an experimental step forward, then turned to the others.   
"What are you waiting for? Megatron could be back with reinforcements!" With that he stalked off.   
Rattrap looked at Cheetor, shrugged and then transformed into beast mode.

* * *

Getting back to the Axalon had been slow and filled with tense moments. Optimus had started to suffer from failing damper fields as they overloaded with the high energon concentration all around them, and Dinobot had more than once looked like was about to collapse. Rattrap had been more than just a little bit worried after a while, but he had to confess he was impressed by the sheer stubbornness the other Maximal displayed. He kept on walking, stoically shutting up and he didn't even respond to Rattrap's remarks any more. Rhinox met them outside the Axalon and helped get the severely affected Optimus back into the safety of the exploration vessel and the CR chamber. Rattrap had hovered around Dinobot until he was safely back inside as well. Since Optimus was worse off, he was the first to get the CR chamber treatment.   
"I am fine!" Dinobot hissed as Rhinox approached him to give him at least some first aid. "Worry about Optimus."   
With that he turned and stalked off, though it was more of a limp-and-stagger. Rhinox looked at Cheetor, who shrugged in confusion, and Rattrap, who frowned a bit. Dinobot's injuries were multiple and, though not very deep, still painful and in need of treatment. Of course Optimus was worse off, but that was no reason to hover around the Maximal leader. The CR chamber was taking care of everything right now.   
Rattrap sighed. "I know I'm gonna hate myself for it later," he muttered, "but I'll talk to him."   
Rhinox only smiled.   
Rattrap found Dinobot in the aft section of the ship. The raptor growled angrily, baring his teeth, as the smaller Maximal entered the room. Dinobot looked really bad, Rattrap decided.   
"Eh, you gone suicidal, or what? Let Rhinox get a look at those cuts or you might catch something."   
Dinobot hissed. "I said, I am fine, Rat Breath! I can wait until the CR chamber has restored Optimus."   
"No, you can't," Rattrap answered, looking pointedly at a puddle of mech fluid, which had formed at Dinobot's feet. One of the wounds had opened again. "I thought you had such a survival instinct, huh? Aren't you Preds trained to think about your own survival first?" he taunted.   
Dinobot's low rumble turned into a growl of anger.   
"Or," Rattrap went on, "do you want to make me believe you are a Maximal now? That you act by Maximal beliefs?" He put just enough sarcasm into his voice to get the wanted reaction. Of course Dinobot had changed from what he had been before; defending Optimus' life, not charging into battle and leaving his commander open and vulnerable for an attack, was not something Dinobot would have done easily before. He would have encountered the enemy head first and given in to his battle fury.   
Dinobot's angry roar echoed in the room. "Watch your tongue, rodent!" the former Predacon hissed furiously, towering over Rattrap, teeth bared.   
"Or what, eh? You are in no shape to hurt a fly!"   
Dinobot's claws clenched and unclenched, a steady growl emanating from his throat.   
Uh-oh, Rattrap thought, he might not be able to hurt a fly, but what about a rat?!   
Suddenly Dinobot closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, trying to relax. His whole body was shaken by a tremor running through him.   
"You are right," he muttered.   
Rattrap raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's a first," he murmured, smiling slightly. "Now will you come back and let Rhinox have a look at those shot wounds?"   
The raptor gave him an unreadable look, then walked out of the room.   
Rattrap shook his head, muttering, "I shoulda gone inta psychology. Woulda made a fortune, heh!"

* * *

Three days later everything was more or less back to normal. Optimus Primal had not suffered any permanent damage through the long exposure to the energon fields, and his leg had been repaired, as well as his jet pack circuits, which had burned out through the short boost. Dinobot had been treated as well and he was back to his old self, or at least partially. Optimus had watched him -- and Rattrap, who had continued to pester, torment and verbally criticize or attack Dinobot as usual. Dinobot reacted to the verbal challenges like he had always done before, but something had changed.   
Optimus had explained to the others how they had managed to get out of the canyon and what had happened then. The Predacons had not shown up in all the three days, except for their usual perimeter patrols or aerial reconnaissance.   
"Thank you."   
Dinobot looked up from the computer terminal where he had been adding a few things to the every-growing map of the planet. He was always adding new features, things he had found out on his patrols, just like the others did as well. Knowing the ever-changing territory, which was influenced by the energon storms and seismic activities, was vital.   
"For your help," Optimus clarified.   
"It was my duty," the former Predacon replied.   
Optimus smiled. "Maybe. You could have taken them out easily, though, if you had not stood like you were rooted to the spot."   
Dinobot's face twisted in disgust. "It would have left you open for an attack. It would have been dishonorable."   
Optimus nodded. He had expected such a reply. Dinobot was truly a person bound by his own code of honor and now he had included the Maximals in it as well.   
"As for our little....conversation," Dinobot went on, looking straight down at the smaller Maximal, "I have to thank you. You made me think about certain ... things."   
Optimus looked expectantly at him, but Dinobot didn't explain further. He looked visibly uncomfortable and suddenly turned and left the room.   
Optimus allowed himself a small grin. Well, it was a start.   



End file.
